Otto Fabricius
Otto Fabricius ( born March 6, 1744 Rudkjøbing, today Rudkøbing, † May 20, 1822 in Copenhagen) was a Danish clergyman and one of the most important precursor for the Study of Language and fauna of Greenland.
Youth
Otto Fabricius (deprecated Otho Fabricius ) grew up as the son of the provost Hans Fabricius and his second wife Else Cathrine Fabricius born Ursin in a religiously influenced parents' house on. As the grandfather was a blacksmith, the family put to the Latinized surname Fabricius. Heavily influenced by the mission Hans Egede, the Apostle of Greenland, Fabricius studied since 1762 with the desire to become a missionary in Greenland, including on Greenland seminar in Copenhagen. His half-brother Christian came back in 1764 from a five year stay from Greenland, which further sparked the enthusiasm of Otto.
Greenland
Fabricius came to pass in 1768 for five years after Frederikshåb ( Greenlandic: Paamiut ) for missionary work among the Inuit. It succeeded the attentive observer soon to think intensively with the Greenlandic language and culture familiar. He lived with the Greenlanders whose way of life. Results of his linguistic studies are a Greenlandic grammar (1791 ) and the Greenland dictionary ( 1804). They built on the work of Paul Egede, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. Fabricius translated for missionary purposes and the New Testament (1794 and 1799 ) new into Greenlandic. Posthumously published his translation of the first book of Moses.
Fabricius as a scientist
With Greenland also be zoological main work fauna groenlandica (1780 ) is connected. Herein described Fabricius scientifically and with amazing talent for observation along the lines of Carl Linnaeus the Greenland fauna: 468 species - starting in the mindset of the time from people, the Inuit, down to the sea sponges. Among them were about 100 previously unknown species. It is still the basic work of the Greenland fauna. In scientific nomenclature, his name is abbreviated as O. Fabr. Each species is depicted next to their description on a copper engraving. Even after the publication of the work Fabricius made with other zoological treatises, including Food of the whales ( 1781), the Arctic Fox ( 1788) and Robben (1790 /91), attention. His goal of a physical and ethnological overall presentation of Greenland has Fabricius, however, no longer be able to realize.
Return to Denmark
After his return to Denmark in 1773 Fabricius was pastor at various locations in Norway and Denmark. In 1774 he married the Norwegian goat Anna Dorothea (d. 1785 ). 1783 both moved to the Danish capital, where Fabricius taught Greenlandic language and in various parishes worked as a clergyman. 1786, he married his second wife Anna Gunilde Heineth (died 1834) and left numerous descendants. Last time was Fabricius, highly respected, worked at the Church of Our Saviour in Copenhagen with the title and rank of bishop and professor of theology.
Most important writings
- Fauna Groenlandica, systematice sistens animalia Groenlandiæ occidentalis hactenus indagata, qvoad nomen specificum, trivial, vernaculumqve; Synonyms auctorum plurium, descriptionem, locum, victum, generationem, mores, usum, capturamqve singuli, prout detegendi occasio fuit, maximaque parte secundum proprias observationes - habour. ; Lips., In 1780.
- Bidrag til Bible Kundskab ved oplysende Anmærkninger over vigtige above vanskelige Steder i the hellige Skrift - Copenhagen, 1783-1787.
- Fem Taler, til Erindring af the Kongelige Stiftelse for fader og Børn moderløse, holdne i Waysenhuus - Kirken i Aarene 1783 til 1787 - Copenhagen, 1787.
- Forsøg til en forbedret Grønlandsk Grammatica - Copenhagen, 1791 (2nd edition Copenhagen, 1801).
- The Grønlandske Ordbog - Copenhagen, 1804.
- Grønlandsbeskrivelse Edited by A. Ostermann - Copenhagen, 1946 ( = Meddelelser om Grønland Volume 129, No. 4).